[dpc036]

I produce a newsletter for our company, in a magazine format.
Page 1 starts inside front cover with the contents. this makes the back page, page 15.

One of the people approving it, thinks that this is wrong, and uses the following example to make his point

when you open the Sun on page 3, you would be really surprised to see it numbered with a "2"... Don't you think?

now his example is right for a newspaper as the front cover has information on it. our newsletter has an image on it, so i think page 1 should be the inside front.

are there any set rules for this?

[sub]

Yes. Front cover is/should always be page #1.

How do you end up with an odd number of pages? I take it that the newsletter is only ever viewed in digital format?

[dpc036]

it has an even number of pages, 16, but i havent numbered the cover page 1.

is that the case for all printed publications, brochures, books etc?

[sub]

Yes. You'll properly fuck your printers up if you've got an odd number of pages. They'll use the page numbers for a reference as a much as the reader.

[dpc036]

never had a problem with it before.

[badaboom]

even numbers are always on the left, odd pages to the right – why I am not exactly sure* but they always are.
If you don’t want to put a page number on the front then just start the number on the next page (inside front cover) starting as page 2, etc.

If you have book/magazine with a cover (printed on heavier stock) then start the numbering from the inset.

*It might be because of printers ‘rules’ or ‘old school’ pre-press production methods, because a documents pages (as printers pairs) always add up to the sum of the documents pages + 1, e.g. in a 16 page document page 1 is opposite page 16, and page 2 opposite 15, etc. When you are doing big documents this was essential in the days of hand planning and imposition, but for a newsletter it obviously is’nt – but even page numbers on the right are, if not “wrong” are at least weird.

a feeling of Déjà vu, for me on this one.

[dpc036]

cheers for setting me straight.

[steveb]

The front cover is always page number one, whether or not it has a number on it. If you're numbering pages in your family scrapbook, you can use whatever system you want otherwise stick to the conventions! The sanity you save may not be your own.

[Hunch]

Unless you're in Japan, in which case the back cover is page 1

[steveb]

But it's still the first page honto de nai ka

[Hunch]

Yeah, I wondered if you'd spot that.